Bail construction



Feb. 13, 1951 MARTINSON 2,541,281

BAIL CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Feb. 26, 1949 @dwin @JQNkoxrfinscm i fil w [1/ gal I Patented Feb. 13, 1951 BAIL CONSTRUCTION Edwin 0. Martinson Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to The C. S. Johnson Company, Champaign, 111., a corporation of Illinois Original application February 26, 1949, Serial No.

Divided and this application December 19, 1949, Serial No. 133,707

Claims. (01. 294-458) The present invention relates to material handling apparatus and more particularly to an improved bail construction especially well suited for use on large concrete buckets.

An object of the invention is to provide a bail for transporting a bucket of concrete or the like which may be readily engaged, and disengaged by a crane hook under the control of the crane operator and without the assistance of a helper on the ground. It is another object to provide a bail for a bucket having improved means for engaging the crane hook but which does not obstruct the mouth of the bucket nor project substantially beyond the outer diameter thereof. It is a further object to provide a bail for a concrete bucket which is simple and inexpensive to construct yet inherently strong and capable of re-= sisting the abuse to which equipment of this type is normally subjected on large construction projects.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bail constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 2 discloses the bail of Fig. 1 in the lowered position prior to hooking by a crane or the like, the alternate position being shown in dot-dash outline.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions and uses, I have shown in the drawing and will herein describe in detail one embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood, however, that I do not intend to limit the invention by such disclosure, but aim to cover all modifications and alternative constructions and uses falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

Referring now to the drawing it will be seen that the bucket has a container which includes an upper circular portion 2! having a generally arcuate bail 22 pivoted thereto at diametrically opposite pivots in the form of clevises 23, 24. The bail is preferably of rigid box-like construction with the arms thereof of rectangular cross section.

In accordance with the invention a hanger is provided at the center of the bail for suspending the same from a crane hook with a novel provision for maintaining the hanger in an upstanding or exposed position when the bail is lowered. In the present embodiment the hanger is in the form of a metal plate at received in a recess 3| formed in the bail. The plate is engaged for free pivoting movement by means'of a pin 32 which bridges the recess and arranged parallel to the axis of pivoting of the bail. In practicing the invention the hanger is extended below the point of pivoting and means are provided at the lower end portion for engaging a support on the bucket to prevent the hanger from toppling. In the form disclosed herein engagement occurs between a notch 33 on the hanger and the rim 3d of the bucket. An eye 35 is formed in the upper portion of the hanger and is preferably elongated as shown to provide a large vertical hooking range.

It will be apparent that after the bucket is lowered into contact with a railway car or the like continued downward movement will cause the bail assembly to be lowered from the upright position to the at-rest position. During this movement the weight of the bail overcomes any friction at the pin 32 and by its pull against the crane hook tends to maintain the hanger vertical. With the bail in the lowered position of Fig. 2, the crane hook may be readily disengaged from the eye 35. The hanger remains locked in the upright position for easy hooking by the crane operator when the bucket is next used and without the assistance of a helper on the ground. The present construction of the bail assembly not only enables easy hooking but prevents the bail from falling over the edge of the bucket where it is difficult to get at and where it may be damaged by another bucket lowered into an adjacent position.

When a ground helper is available for handling the crane hook, the upright position of the hanger 30 at the edge of the bucket enables the helper to swing the hook into place easily and safely. This is contrasted with conventional designs which require that the helper reach to the center of a bucket which may be from three to six feet in diameter.

It is to be noted particularly that while the hanger 3!! is of considerable length it does not add to the width of the bucket to any noticeable degree nor does it obstruct the bucket opening. This enables a maximum number of such buckets to be stored in [a confined area and also makes it unnecessary for the crane operator to exercise great care in spotting the buckets adjacent one another. v

Because of the absence of any cross shaft within the bucket and the lack of any other obstruction which would tend to hold back the larger pieces of aggregate there is complete freedom from segregation between the large pieces of aggregate and the finer constituents of the concrete. This makes the construction particularly advantageous for work done under Government contract. Although the bail is particularly well suited for use on a concrete bucket it is apparent that the invention is not limited thereto and may be employed with equal advantage for other types of containers capable of being carried by means of a pivoted bail.

While the invention has been described in connection with a bail member of generally arcuate form, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention in its broader aspect is by no means limited thereto but would also include constructions in which the side portions of the bail make a much more acute angle with one another. The invention would also include structures in which the pivot points 23, 24 are retained rigidly fixed to the rim of the bucket but displaced radially inward from the illustrated positions, the only disadvantage of such arrangements being that the mouth of the bucket would no longer be completely free and unobstructed.

This is a division of my copending application Serial No. 78,481 which was filed on February 26, 1949.

What I claim is: r

1. In a container for transporting bulk material and having a support at the periphery thereof, a bail assembly comprising a bail of generally arcuate shape pivoted to said container and dimensioned so that the center portion thereof overlies said support when the bail is in a horizontal at-rest position, said bail assembly including a bail hanger pivoted to the center portion of said bail on an axis parallel to the axis of pivoting of the bail, said bail hanger having an eye formed in its upper end portion for insertion of a crane hook or the like, said hanger further having means at its lower end adapted to engage said support when the bail is in its lowered position for maintaining the hanger upright and for looking it against rotation relative to the bail so that the hanger may be readily and positively engaged by the crane hook.

2. In a bucket for transporting concrete and having an upwardly presented rim, a bail assembly comprising a pivoted bail of generally arcuate shape and dimensioned to extend to a point on the rim of the bucket when in a horizontal at-rest position, said bail assembly including a bail hanger having its central portion pivoted to said bail for free swinging movement thereon about an axis parallel to the axis of pivoting of the bail, said bail hanger including means at its upper end for engagement by a crane hook or the like and having a notch in its lower end portion adapted to engage the rim of the bucket when the bail is in its lowered position so that the bail hanger is maintained in upright position for ready engagement by a crane hook.

3. In a bucket for transporting concrete and 4 having an upwardly presented rim, a bail of generally arcuate shape having means at its ends for pivoting to the bucket at diametrically arranged points thereon, said bail being of rigid box-like construction having a recess at its outer extremity and a pin for bridging the same, a hanger in the form of a metal plate having a hole in the central portion thereof for receiving said pin with the plate located for free pivoting movement in said notch, the upper portion of the hanger having an elongated eye for receiving a crane hook, the lower portion of the hanger having a notch formed therein for engaging the rim of the bucket for maintaining the hanger upstanding for ready engagement by a crane hook when the bail is in its lowered position.

4. In a bucket for transporting concrete and having an upwardly presented rim, a bail assembly comprising a bail diametrically pivoted at the rim of the bucket and dimensioned so that the upper portion thereof extends to a point adjacent the rim of the bucket when the bail is in its horizontal at-rest position, said bail assembly including a bail hanger having its central portion pivoted to said bail for free swinging movement thereon about an axis parallel to the axis of pivoting of the bail, said bail hanger including means providing an eye at the upper portion for a crane hook and having a large vertical hooking range, said bail hanger having a notch in its lower end portion adapted to engage the rim of the bucket when the bail is in its lowered position so that the bail hanger is automatically maintained in upright position for engagement by a crane hook and readily accessible to a hooking operator on the ground.

5. In a bucket for transporting concrete and having an upwardly presented rim portion providing a supporting surface thereon, a bail assembly comprising a member pivoted for rotation about an axis extending between diametrically opposite points on said rim and dimensioned so that the upper portion thereof extends to a point adjacent said supporting surface when the bail is in its generally horizontal at-rest position, said bail assembly including a bail hanger pivoted to said bail for free swinging movement thereon about an axis parallel to said first-mentioned axis, said bail hanger including means providing an eye at the upper portion for a crane hook and having a large vertical hooking range, said bail hanger having means adapted to engage said supporting surface for preventing rotation of the hanger about its pivoting axis upon said bail being lowered by the crane hook to its at-rest position with the result that the bail hanger is automatically maintained upright for engagement by a crane hook and readily accessible at the edge of the bucket to a hooking operator on the ground.

EDWIN O. MARTINSON.

No references cited. 

